“Barges on the Canal, St-Martin Canal”
Today, one from a lesser celebrated impressionist who acquired his fame after his lifetime.
“Barges on the Canal, St-Martin Canal” is an oil on canvas painting by the French-born artist of English descent, Impressionism artist, Alfred Sisley, from 1870. Sisley did several paintings of the Canal Saint-Martin, as it was a popular walking spot in his day. It also provided many spots to paint en plein air, a technique he had picked up from Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir whom he met in art school.
Located in Paris, the Canal Saint-Martin connects the River Seine with the Canal de l’Ourcq. There is a series of locks and bridges along the canal that barges have to navigate as they move through the city. Small footbridges span the canal in many places, and eateries and bars line the sides. The canal was constructed in 1825 under orders from Napoleon Bonaparte who was seeking to provide fresh water and cleanliness to the people of the city. It remains a popular spot to this day.
The onset of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the year this painting was made, brought about the demise of Sisley’s father’s silk business. This greatly affected his livelihood, as his father was his only constant source of money, but Sisley remained devoted to his art and continued to pursue it full-time. Living as a full-time artist overshadowed by Monet and Renoir during his lifetime, kept Sisley poor, but he never gave up and continued to paint solely for his income.
“Barges on the Canal, St-Martin Canal” is currently in the collections of the Am Römerholz museum in Winterthur, Zurich Canton, Switzerland. It is part of the Oskar Reinhart Collection.
For more on Alfred Sisley, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
